The Federal Government has retrieved a stolen priceless artifact, intercepted in Mexico City, Mexico.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, while receiving the artifact from the Charge de Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Mexico, Dr. Yakubu Dadu, stated that the government remains unwavering in ensuring that the cultural artifacts stolen from the country and scattered in different parts of the world are recovered and returned.
Ekwi Ajide of our Abuja bureau reports that the recovered sculpture is of a man sitting cross-legged, wearing a headgear and holding an object, which has been confirmed to be an ancient sculpture that originated from Ife, Osun State, South-West Nigeria.
According to Mr. Onyeama the process of recovering the valuable cultural possession commenced in 2017, when the former Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico, Ambassador Aminu Iyawa, incidentally saw a bronze head suspected to be of Nigerian origin at the Benito Juarez International Airport, in Mexico City.
Upon further enquiries in collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and relevant Mexican focal institutions, it was established that the bronze head originated from Nigeria.
He said that following concerted efforts of the Mission together with the joint efforts of the customs of Mexico and the United States, the bronze head was impounded and handed over to the Nigerian Mission by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico, Ambassador Julian Ventura, in a historic ceremony, on February twenty-fifth 2020.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs urged all well-meaning citizens and friends of Nigeria to notify relevant agencies of artifacts suspected to be of Nigerian origin where they find any such, as the present government is willing to engage and return such priceless assets.
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